State officials say Pine City Public Schools violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act by failing to stop the racial harassment of a middle school student during the 2020-21 school year.

The student, who was in seventh grade at the time, told her teachers multiple times that she was being harassed by more than 10 students. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights said her parents also “persistently” alerted the district to the fact that the harassment was happening.

The agency did not detail the nature of the harassment but said it caused the student to miss several weeks of school. It found the district knew of the harassment but failed to “take timely and appropriate action to stop it or prevent further harassment from occurring.”

It also found that the district did not follow its own harassment policy, which would have required employees to notify the superintendent of harassment reports.

“Today’s announcement serves as a reminder to schools across the state of their legal responsibilities under the Minnesota Human Rights Act to proactively prevent and stop harassment and discrimination,” said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero.

As part of the state settlement, the Pine City district is required to pay the affected student $65,000. It must also make changes to its policies and procedures to prevent future instances of discrimination and harassment.

The district denied it had broken the law and said the harassment occurred during the pandemic when students attended some or all of their classes from home.

On the most recent statewide student survey, more than half of Minnesota students reported they had experienced bullying or harassment in the last month.

District leaders say they have made major changes over the last three or four years, including a new administrative team, better training and improved processes to address claims of bullying or harassment. The district is about an hour’s drive north of St. Paul.

“We are committed to continuing to work closely with students, parents, and the community to create a positive school culture for all students,” district leaders told MPR News in an emailed statement.

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